Hi there Ive just been diagnosed with ITP rushed to hospital last week with a count of 4 wow what a week its bee had an infusion last weekend if IVIG my levels are now up to 300 & Ive had every test known to man Im still (a bit nervously) waiting for my bone marrow biopsy test results - although one half of it is in and is ok - so its been a roller coaster of a week i have a condition now -that will take some getting used to Im 56 Afro Caribbean/Irish mixed living in London Im looking forward to gaining knowledge and support through this online community

Try not to worry about the bone marrow biopsy. ITP is a diagnosis of exclusion so you will be subjected to a lot of tests to confirm it. The good news is that you responded very well to IVIG. That means that there is an effective 'rescue remedy' available if your platelets should drop down to dangerous levels again. But be warned that for most of us its effect only lasts for 2 to 3 weeks. Don't despair though, there are many treatment options available and it's usually just trial and error until they find the right one.

There are also many new treatments in development at the moment. Although ITP is a rare disease it is allied to other autoimmune disorders so we benefit from research into Rheumatoid arthritis for example. One final query - have you been tested for H-pylori ? If you have it it's a simple fix and can sometimes bring remission from ITP, particularly in some ethnic groups. Worth asking for sure.